Explosive release bolt and valve



June 1963 v. e. COSTLEY ETAL 3,094,928

EXPLOSIVE RELEASE BOLT AND VALVE Filed Sept. 21, 1961 4 INVENTORS.

VIVIAN G.COSTLEY CLARK w. DOVELL LAVERNE c. LUH

AGENT 3,094,928 Patented June 25, 1963 3,094,928 EXPLOSIVE RELEASE BOLT AND VALVE Vivian G. Costley, Takorna Park, and Clark W. Dovell,

Silver Spring, Md., and La Verne C. Luh, Alexandria,

Va., assign'ors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Sept. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 139,811 3 Claims. (Cl. 102-10) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to a combination release bolt and valve mechanism and more particularly to a release bolt and valve mechanism having an explosive squib as an actuator.

In the field of underwater mines, it is desirable to construct a drill mine which may be utilized as a test device to determine the eflfectiveness of the firing and sensing circuits of a mine and as a device to be utilized during war games at sea. This necessarily requires some means to determine when the drill mine is actuated without endangering personnel and without damage to the associated structures.

The general purpose of this invention is to provide an efiective mechanism whereby the sensing and firing circuit of an underwater mine may be evaluated and which may be utilized efiectively as a drill mine in war games. To attain this, the present invention contemplates a unique release bolt and valve mechanism actuated by an explosive squib and utilized to release a signal device which will indicate actuation of the mine.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide new and improved explosive actuated release bolt and valve mechanism.

Another object is to provide a device to indicate actuation of an underwater mine.

A further object of the invention is to provide an underwater drill mine having means for indicating actuation of the mine without endangering personnel and without damage to the associate structure.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

The single FIGURE illustrates a drill mine partially in section and embodying the instant invention.

On the figure is shown a drill mine 1 which is submerged to any desired distance below the water surface and which comprises a main section or container 2, a top cover 3 and a release bolt and valve mechanism 4. Looated within a water-tight compartment 5 is a float device 6 which may contain any suitable signaling device, such, for example, as a hydrostatically fired pyrotechnic pellet.

The release bolt and valve mechanism 4 comprises a cylindrical housing 7 having an aperture 8 therein and a center wall 9 dividing the hollow interior into two sections or spaces 11 and 12. The wall 9 has an aperture 13 axially aligned with the aperture 8. The housing 7 is secured to the main section 2 by means of bolts 14. The housing 7 has an annular recess for receiving an O-ring 15 which seals the housing 7 and main section 2.

The float device 6 has a shroud ring 16 secured to the body of the float by a plurality of stabilizing fins, not shown, and a retaining bracket 17 having an aperture 18 located therein. The float device is depressed within the water-tight compartment 5 against conical spring 19 and is held in place by the release bolt 21 until detonation of the squib 22 as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds.

The release bolt 21 has a first section 23 and a second section 24 separated by a recess 25 within which is contained, in water-tight contact with the bolt 21 and the housing aperture wall, an O ring 26. The second section 24 has a shoulder 27 abutting the housing 7 to position the release bolt within the apertures 8, 13 and 18. The bolt 21 is held in place by set screw 28 extending through 0 housing 7 into aperture 8.

Within the bolt 21 is an explosive squib 22 located in such a manner that one end thereof is coincident with one side of the recess 25 along the bevel 29 which forms a structurally weakened portion, defining the first and second sections of the bolt. It should be understood that the bolt 21 is preferably formed in one piece and is structurally weakened by the recess 25 and bevel 29 for reasons which will hereinafter become more readily apparent as the description proceeds.

The squib is electrically connected by way of waterproof cable 31 and water-tight connector 32 to a suitable source of electrical energy and firing mechanism located within the main mine section 2 which has not been shown. The firing mechanism may be of any desired type, such, for example, as one which is actuated by the proximity of a ship, a pre-set timing device, or one which may be actuated upon a coded command signal.

The dome-shaped cover 3 has an annular recess 33 therein containing a sealing gasket or 0 ring 34 to maintain the compartment 5 Water-tight.

In assembly, the cover 3 is removed and the signal containing float device 6 is inserted into compartment 5 against spring 19 until the aperture 18 in retaining bracket 17 is aligned with the apertures 8 and 13 Within the housing 7. The release bolt 21 is inserted through the apertures and secured by set screw 28. The electrical connector 32 fitted into its receptacle and the cover 3 is replaced. The cover is initially secured by a cover spring, not shown, to insure that the seal between the cover 3 and the main section 2 is maintained water-tight until the cover is released.

The drill mine is secured to any well-known mine anchoring device, such, for example, as that illustrated in US. Patent No. 2,529,486. The anchoring device and the attached mine are launched and after reaching the bottom of the water, it is the general practice to pay out the mooring cable from a drum and allow the mine to rise until it reaches a predetermined depth of submersion within the body of water.

Upon release of the mine from the anchor, the cover spring may be, by any convenient means, released. Since the water pressure above the cover is greater than the pressure within the compartment, cover 3 is held in watertight relation with the main section 2.

When the firing circuit is actuated, a pulse of current is supplied to the squib 22 thereby detonating it and rupturing the release bolt across the bevel 29. The first section 23 moves out of the aperture 18 in bracket 17 into the space 11. The second section 24 moves against force of set screw 28 out of the aperture 8 breaking the seal formed by 0 ring 15 and allowing water to enter the formerly water-tight compartment 5 equalizing the pressure therein.

Float 6, now being free, can rise, aided by the conical spring 19, and push the cover 3 from its initial position closing the compartment. The float continues to rise toward the surface and, at any desired time, the signaling device may be released to indicate that the mine has been actuated.

The amount of explosive contained within the squib is sufiicient to insure rupture of the release bolt and explosion of the sections in their respective directions.

It is obvious that the main section and the housing remain intact and may be recovered and reused by merely replacing the float and associated signaling device and the release bolt.

It is further obvious that the device need not be joined such that the bolt is in shear as illustrated but may also be arranged such as to place the bolt in tension.

There has been illustrated and described a simple mechanism which may be arranged to act either as a release mechanism, a valve mechanism or as a combination release and valve.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the teachings. It is therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A release bolt and valve mechanism comprising a cylindrical U-shaped housing having an aperture therein, a wall extending interiorly across said housing, said wall having an aperture therein in axial alignment with the aperture in said housing, a release bolt extending through the apertures in said wall and in said housing, said bolt comprising a substantially solid shaft having a bore therein and a recess thereabout, the recess being defined by a cylindrical shaft portion of reduced diameter and (having an annular bevel at one end thereof of less diameter than the cylindrical shaft portion, the recess in said shaft being positioned within the aperture in said housing, a squib located within the bore and having one end thereof terminating in the same plane as the beveled end of said shaft portion, and means to detonate said squib whereby when said squib is detonated said shaft is ruptured along said plane and the ruptured portions of said shaft are driven out of the apertures in said wall and said housing axially in opposite directions.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein an O ring is located within the recess about said shaft in water-tight contact with said shaft and said housing to form a seal therebetween.

3. In a mine having a buoyant device to be released, contained within a watertight compartment, the improvement comprising a cylindrical U-shaped housing in watertight engagement with the mine adjacent one end of the watertight compartment, an internal wall extending across said housing, said housing and said wall each having an aperture therein, release means extending through the apertures in said housing and said wall in such a manner as to hold the buoyant device initially in place within the watertight compartment, and means to rupture said release means in such a manner so as to drive the ruptured portions of said release means out of the apertures in said wall and said housing axially in opposite directions to release the buoyant device and to allow water to enter the watertight compartment when the mine is submerged, said release means comprising a cylindrical shaft having an annular recess therein located within the aperture in said housing and an axial bore having'one end thereof opposite said recess, the recess in said shaft'being defined by a cylindrical shaft portion of reduced diameter having a bevel at one end thereof, an O ring located within the recess in watertight contact with said shaft and said housing, and said means to rupture said release means is an explosive squib located within said bore and having one end thereof terminating in the same plane as the beveled end of said shaft portion whereby when said squib is detonated said shaft is ruptured at the recess and the ruptured portions of the shaft are driven out of the apertures in said wall and said housing axially in opposite directions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,039,254 Carteron Sept. 24,1912 1,531,550 Glennon 'Mar. 31, 1925 2,585,870 Spielrnan Feb. 12, 1952 2,705,919 Semon Apr. 12, 1955 2,809,584 Smith Oct. 15, 1957 

1. A RELEASE BOLT AND VALVE MECHANISM COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL U-SHAPED HOUSING HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN, A WALL EXTENDING INTERIORLY ACROSS SAID HOUSING, SAID WALL HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE APERTURE IN SAID HOUSING, A RELEASE BOLT EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURES IN SAID WALL AND IN SAID HOUSING, SAID BOLT COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLID SHAFT HAVING A BORE THEREIN AND A RECESS THEREABOUT, THE RECESS BEING DEFINED BY A CYLINDRICAL SHAFT PORTION OF REDUCED DIAMETER AND HAVING AN ANNULAR BEVEL AT ONE END THEREOF OF LESS DIAMETER THAN THE CYLINDRICAL SHAFT PORTION, THE RECESS IN SAID SHAFT BEING POSITIONED WITHIN THE APERTURE IN SAID HOUSING, A SQUIB LOCATED WITHIN THE BORE AND HAVING ONE END THEREOF TERMINATING IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE BEVELED END OF SAID WHEN SAID SQUIB IS DETONATED SAID SHAFT IS RUPTURED ALONG SAID PLANE AND THE RUPTURED PORTIONS OF SAID SHAFT ARE DRIVEN OUT OF THE APERTURES IN SAID WALL AND SAID HOUSING AXIALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. 